“Very scary” attacks. Turkey reacts, after Ukraine began to hit Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that the “very scary” attacks in recent days in the Black Sea on oil tankers with ties to Russia threaten the security of all countries in the region and that the strikes show that the war in Ukraine is expanding, reports Reuters.

Attacks in Turkey's exclusive economic zone violate the safety of navigation and affect trade, he said, adding that Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, which also have access to the Black Sea, are considering measures to increase security.

Fidan also discussed these attacks, some of which were claimed by Ukraine, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, as well as with his counterparts in Bulgaria and Romania, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry source.

The attacks caused insurance rates for shipping on the Black Sea to rise and prompted a Turkish company, Besiktas Shipping, to halt operations with ties to Russia for security reasons.

Kiev, targeting Russian oil exports as Moscow bombs Ukraine's power grid, claimed responsibility for maritime drone attacks on two empty oil tankers en route to a Russian port last week.

Ukraine has denied involvement in Tuesday's incident

But Kiev has denied any connection to another incident on Tuesday, in which a Russian-flagged ship carrying sunflower oil said it was attacked by drones off the coast of Turkey. Beyond the incidents in the Black Sea, an oil tanker belonging to Besiktas Shipping, which also did business with Russia, was damaged near Senegal due to external impacts. No one has claimed responsibility for this incident.

Fidan and Rutte discussed Black Sea security and negotiations to end the nearly four-year-old war, the source said, without giving further details.

The person added that Fidan and his Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts stressed the importance of free trade flows in the Black Sea, securing critical infrastructure and ensuring safe maritime routes, while demanding compliance with international law.

Turkey described the attacks on shipping as unacceptable and warned “all parties” to stop them. A Turkish official said the call specifically included Ukrainian authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded on Tuesday by threatening to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and saying Moscow would step up attacks on Ukrainian facilities and ships and take action against oil tankers from countries that help Kiev.